Help gaining weight - 72 year old mom under 100 lbs

[ashwinsmommy]

Hi everyone,

My mom has some sort of infection (that even the head of infectious diseases at Toronto Hospital can't figure out!) and it is makeing her lose weight - her weight is actually steady now that she has been in teh hopsital for 3 weeks (she is out now!) and on antibiotics - but for a woman who always celebrated when she hit 100 lbs and was around 90-100 lbs, she is not gaining any more weight and has been at 84 lbs for months now. She is 5'6 and believe it or not she wears a 12/14 pant - so she has the structure but no muscle tone or flesh really - and she has always been like that - the doctors told her that since she didn't gain any weight when pregnant with me 38 years ago that she should be prepared that I would be born stillborn! Little did they know I would be a 250 lb 5'9 woman as an adult LOL!

She is 72, Scots background and doesn't like a lot of fattening foods - what can she eat that is easy to make (she has very low energy), high calorie, calorie-dense food that is not sickenly sweet or super rich??

I need help!

We went to visit a while back and I got her all kinds of homemade scotch pies and sausage rolls by a scots baker, dark chocolate and other treats such as shortbread...she is eating it...but has a hard time as she is super stressed and tense all the time, has a super high metabolism and doesn't have a great appetite even when well.

And according to charts I have seen, she needs a min of 1500 cals a day to maintain her weight and 2000 to gain (what they say) a lb a week - and for my mom, that would be more like a lb a month.

Thanks for any and all help!

Tara

 

[luvs]

have you tried ensure or benecalorie?

 

[Andy M.]

Since your mom is being treated by a doctor, I recommend you consult that doctor for food advice for your mom. Only a doctor who understands your mom's condition and the medications she is taking can recommend a diet for her.

A group of strangers who have never see your or your mom (us here at DC), no matter how well meaning, cannot hope to offer the best advice and may unintentionally do harm.

 

[Scotch]

What does she like to eat?

 

[CasperImproved]

What Andy said... bug/slap the doctor until you get the information you need.

Bob

 

[kitchenelf]

Hi Tara,

I have to agree with Andy M here and Casper. Doctors don't seem to realize that people need a bit more guidance than simply being told someone needs to eat a certain amount of calories a day when they have other apparent health issues. There's protein that can be added to things like mashed potatoes and soups, but, a dietitian needs to give you some information and guidelines on all this stuff.

Sure, we can tell you about what we know. Luvs and others (and me included) are going to mention ensure and other products like that. Your Mom cannot live on liquid products alone.

You need to know what some high energy, high calorie foods are. You might want to get them to recommend a book...or what to look for in a recipe or, even what to add to a recipe to make it more bulky.

 

[Alix]

Tara, call a dietician. They will be of immense help to you. My best suggestion is to get her eating nuts. Lots of them. Buy her the blue bag of trail mix at Costco. Cheap and lots of good nutrition that is easy to grab. Nuts of any kind are a healthy food that is pretty calorie dense.

Try omelettes. You can have all kinds of stuff on hand, they are easy, quick and eggs are a good hit of protein for her.

Make up some spaghetti sauce and freeze it in smaller containers, then all she has to do is boil water for pasta and heat up small portions of sauce.

Chili with loads of beans. Again, freezable in smaller portions for ease of cooking.

Baked potatoes in the microwave with piles of grated cheese and chives and bacon bits.

Sausages are easy to have on hand, she can do a couple of potatoes in the microwave and shes got a quick meal there too.

Hope some of those help.

 

[ashwinsmommy]

have you tried ensure or benecalorie?

Yup - ensure - but not sure what benecalorie is!

 

[ashwinsmommy]

Since your mom is being treated by a doctor, I recommend you consult that doctor for food advice for your mom. Only a doctor who understands your mom's condition and the medications she is taking can recommend a diet for her.

A group of strangers who have never see your or your mom (us here at DC), no matter how well meaning, cannot hope to offer the best advice and may unintentionally do harm.

Hi Andy,

Thanks for the note, but the doctors are not giving her any advice except to eat as much as possible - high calorie foods - they haven't even given her a calorie counter etc etc.

No one can do harm here by suggesting food that is high calorie - she is 100% healthy except for her weight at this point - and with the fear of having the infection return and her tiredness, at this point, she can eat anything!

 

[ashwinsmommy]

Tara, call a dietician. They will be of immense help to you. My best suggestion is to get her eating nuts. Lots of them. Buy her the blue bag of trail mix at Costco. Cheap and lots of good nutrition that is easy to grab. Nuts of any kind are a healthy food that is pretty calorie dense.

Try omelettes. You can have all kinds of stuff on hand, they are easy, quick and eggs are a good hit of protein for her.

Make up some spaghetti sauce and freeze it in smaller containers, then all she has to do is boil water for pasta and heat up small portions of sauce.

Chili with loads of beans. Again, freezable in smaller portions for ease of cooking.

Baked potatoes in the microwave with piles of grated cheese and chives and bacon bits.

Sausages are easy to have on hand, she can do a couple of potatoes in the microwave and shes got a quick meal there too.

Hope some of those help.

Thanks Alix - I will see about a dietician - I am sure when she was in hopsital she had one - but they couldn't get her to gain weight either...

I will call a few of them and see what other opinions there are...

Thanks everyone...

 

[Andy M.]

Hi Andy,

Thanks for the note, but the doctors are not giving her any advice except to eat as much as possible - high calorie foods - they haven't even given her a calorie counter etc etc.

No one can do harm here by suggesting food that is high calorie - she is 100% healthy except for her weight at this point - and with the fear of having the infection return and her tiredness, at this point, she can eat anything!

If that's the case, just get her to eat the stuff she likes best as you mentioned in your OP. A little fresh air and a daily walk will help stimulate her appetite.

 

[luvs]

Yup - ensure - but not sure what benecalorie is!

RESOURCE BENECALORIE | Nestlé Nutrition - Nestle-Nutrition.com

here, read this!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Ashwinsmommy,

What meal is the best for your mother each day? Does she eat breakfast or does she wait until lunch or dinner to eat the most? Most elderly are inclined to really eat at breakfast...in any case it's easy to slip in some extra fat calories by adding just a tablespoon of butter to just about anything. Protein powders are good to stir into foods also.

If all else fails getting her to drink a snack in the afternoon made with a banana, ice cream and the protein powder would be good.

It's not easy feeding the elderly, I know but well worth finding out when you can get the extra calories in.

Hi everyone,

My mom has some sort of infection (that even the head of infectious diseases at Toronto Hospital can't figure out!) and it is makeing her lose weight - her weight is actually steady now that she has been in teh hopsital for 3 weeks (she is out now!) and on antibiotics - but for a woman who always celebrated when she hit 100 lbs and was around 90-100 lbs, she is not gaining any more weight and has been at 84 lbs for months now. She is 5'6 and believe it or not she wears a 12/14 pant - so she has the structure but no muscle tone or flesh really - and she has always been like that - the doctors told her that since she didn't gain any weight when pregnant with me 38 years ago that she should be prepared that I would be born stillborn! Little did they know I would be a 250 lb 5'9 woman as an adult LOL!

She is 72, Scots background and doesn't like a lot of fattening foods - what can she eat that is easy to make (she has very low energy), high calorie, calorie-dense food that is not sickenly sweet or super rich??

I need help!

We went to visit a while back and I got her all kinds of homemade scotch pies and sausage rolls by a scots baker, dark chocolate and other treats such as shortbread...she is eating it...but has a hard time as she is super stressed and tense all the time, has a super high metabolism and doesn't have a great appetite even when well.

And according to charts I have seen, she needs a min of 1500 cals a day to maintain her weight and 2000 to gain (what they say) a lb a week - and for my mom, that would be more like a lb a month.

Thanks for any and all help!

Tara

 

[katybar22]

I also am in the process of trying to gain weight. I have a dietician/nutitionist who has put me in a high calorie high protein diet. Unfortunately, I just can't eat that much right now. So, as luvs has said, I use benecalorie and beneprotein along with whatever I can eat. I haven't seen any changes as yet, but I'm hoping to soon. Your best bet is to have her doc refer you to a good nutritionist. I wouldn't try any supplements w/out the docs ok. Best of luck.

Katy

 

[Claire]

Brother, I wrote a response and it disappeared when I looked at other responses. I go through this with a friend of mine. She simply was never really interested in food to begin with and is furious that people actually expect her to eat. Her care-giver (a long time trusted friend who loves to cook and eat), another friend, and I make sure there is always tons of good, nutritious food in the house. BUT the way we "make" her eat is that she loves a drink. With her doctor's permission, we bribe her. She can have 2 glasses of wine a day .... but only if she eats a couple of good meals.

 

[ILikePBCookies]

Just out of curiousity...does your mother's health dependent upon her gaining weight? If she is 100% healthy (aside from being underweight), then maybe just focus on cooking and letting her enjoy meals she likes rather than just packing in extra calories to make her gain.

If she just wants to gain weight ASAP then a lot of the suggestions mentioned above seem good. And talk to her doctor about supplements for in between meals. I think that 2000 calories is way too little to be eating as a method of gaining (I am pretty sure that is just the daily recommended allowance)...so maybe try something like 2500?

Some suggestions:

-encourage her to drink nutrient rich drinks/juices instead of water. Maybe try to drink things like orange juice (or other juices), and full fat milk with meals?
-Pasta/rice/potatoes and all starchy high carb. foods are good for bulking up.
-What about sandwiches? Does she like those? They can be made in so many different ways, and they are a great way to get protein, carbs, and vegetable all in one.
-some breakfast food ideas could be: Pancakes, eggs (but I wouldn't recommend eating too many eggs since they are high in cholesterol), oatmeal/porridge made with milk, with sliced bananas & nuts.
-snacks: nuts, dried fruit, granola, crackers with cheese, popcorn.

That is all I can think of for now. Hope some of these suggestions helped you. Oh and I would agree with whomever said finding a dietician is a good idea. Dieticians are great for helping you to set up meal plans for either weight gain or loss.